in the following program may
not be suitable for children.
00:00:01.90\00:00:04.87
Viewer discretion is advised.
00:00:04.90\00:00:06.74
¤[theme music]¤
00:00:07.24\00:00:12.24
>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
00:00:26.76\00:00:28.36
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:00:28.39\00:00:29.62
Thanks for joining me.
00:00:29.66\00:00:31.96
Justice.
00:00:31.99\00:00:33.40
When I say that word,
"justice," what do you think of?
00:00:33.43\00:00:38.23
If I asked you for
another word for justice,
00:00:38.27\00:00:40.60
what would that word be?
00:00:40.64\00:00:42.20
Fairness?
00:00:42.24\00:00:43.44
That's what I think of.
00:00:43.47\00:00:44.94
Honesty? Integrity?
00:00:44.97\00:00:48.18
What would justice look
like in a courtroom setting?
00:00:48.21\00:00:51.55
The fair shake, an
even playing field, equity.
00:00:51.58\00:00:55.15
Surely it would mean
to be heard, represented,
00:00:55.18\00:00:57.72
for the facts to be made known.
00:00:57.75\00:00:59.89
Justice and truth--
00:00:59.92\00:01:01.62
now, they're closely
related, aren't they?
00:01:01.66\00:01:03.63
They're like
twins. Surely they are.
00:01:03.66\00:01:06.39
Human beings have
always had their challenges
00:01:06.43\00:01:08.73
when it comes to
administering justice.
00:01:08.76\00:01:11.60
Any time you
have people involved,
00:01:11.63\00:01:13.50
justice is going to
be unevenly applied.
00:01:13.54\00:01:17.27
But you'd like to think
society will do its best
00:01:17.31\00:01:19.94
to get it right.
00:01:19.97\00:01:22.04
Extreme cases are easy to find.
00:01:22.08\00:01:24.61
A man who'd been convicted
for burgling two empty homes
00:01:24.65\00:01:28.42
was arrested on possession
of $10 worth of illegal drugs
00:01:28.45\00:01:31.92
and sentenced to 25
years to life in prison.
00:01:31.95\00:01:36.39
Hard to call that
justice, isn't it?
00:01:36.42\00:01:38.29
Even the judge
said it was wrong.
00:01:38.33\00:01:40.46
A man stole a
$2.50 pair of socks,
00:01:40.50\00:01:43.06
but it was his third strike,
so he, too, was sentenced
00:01:43.10\00:01:46.10
to 25 years to life under
California's three-strikes law.
00:01:46.13\00:01:50.94
Justice can be complex,
00:01:50.97\00:01:52.54
and it's often true
that the one who can afford
00:01:52.57\00:01:55.24
the best lawyer ends up
getting the best justice.
00:01:55.28\00:01:59.31
¤[soft sad music]¤
00:01:59.35\00:02:05.35
The entire Bible
centers around justice,
00:02:05.39\00:02:08.62
or you could say, injustice.
00:02:08.66\00:02:11.46
The central point of
the Bible is the cross.
00:02:11.49\00:02:14.83
It's because of the
cross that people can be saved.
00:02:14.86\00:02:18.50
That's where Jesus bore the
sins of the world: the cross.
00:02:18.53\00:02:23.64
But the death of
Jesus on the cross
00:02:23.67\00:02:26.01
was an act of gross injustice.
00:02:26.04\00:02:29.01
Jesus didn't
deserve to die on the cross,
00:02:29.04\00:02:32.01
but He died there anyway,
00:02:32.05\00:02:34.18
the victim of the
greatest miscarriage of justice
00:02:34.22\00:02:38.29
in the history of the world.
00:02:38.32\00:02:41.02
The pledge of allegiance of
the United States of America,
00:02:41.06\00:02:44.16
written in the 1890s and
adopted by Congress in 1942,
00:02:44.19\00:02:48.90
goes like this:
00:02:48.93\00:02:50.47
"I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
00:02:50.50\00:02:54.34
and to the Republic
for which it stands,
00:02:54.37\00:02:56.87
one Nation under
God, indivisible,
00:02:56.91\00:03:00.08
with liberty and
justice for all."
00:03:00.11\00:03:03.14
Now, what did that say?
00:03:03.18\00:03:04.75
"With liberty
and justice for all."
00:03:04.78\00:03:08.98
Which is good, in theory.
00:03:09.02\00:03:11.75
Just over a decade before the
pledge was adopted by Congress,
00:03:11.79\00:03:16.26
a long journey to justice
began for a group of young men.
00:03:16.29\00:03:20.60
It was 1931.
00:03:20.63\00:03:22.83
They boarded a train here
in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
00:03:22.86\00:03:27.07
That long journey to justice
00:03:27.10\00:03:29.27
took a detour through
some very serious injustice.
00:03:29.30\00:03:34.44
["Chattanooga Choo
Choo" song begins and fades]
00:03:35.28\00:03:39.65
In 1931 the main Chattanooga
railroad station was right here.
00:03:39.68\00:03:44.85
Today there's a hotel
00:03:45.85\00:03:47.56
and a little train they
call the Chattanooga Choo-Choo,
00:03:47.59\00:03:51.26
named after the song recorded by
Glenn Miller and his orchestra,
00:03:51.29\00:03:55.13
the first song to
receive a gold record.
00:03:55.16\00:03:57.93
["Chattanooga Choo
Choo" continues and ends]
00:03:57.97\00:04:00.37
Back in the day, trains
routinely left the station
00:04:00.40\00:04:03.27
heading west, and nine
young men, or boys actually,
00:04:03.30\00:04:07.94
clambered aboard a train a
little way down the tracks,
00:04:07.98\00:04:11.15
a train that was
heading to Memphis,
00:04:11.18\00:04:13.28
where they hoped to find work.
00:04:13.31\00:04:15.52
It was 1931, right in the
middle of the Great Depression.
00:04:15.55\00:04:19.82
There were plenty of
hobos riding the rails that day,
00:04:19.85\00:04:23.16
March the 25th.
00:04:23.19\00:04:25.16
The nine boys were looking
to make a new start in life.
00:04:25.19\00:04:29.16
They were aged
between 12 and 19.
00:04:30.17\00:04:33.13
Ozie Powell, Clarence
Norris, Olen Montgomery,
00:04:33.17\00:04:36.81
Willie Roberson, and
Charlie Weems were Georgians.
00:04:36.84\00:04:40.71
Haywood
Patterson, Eugene Williams,
00:04:40.74\00:04:42.88
and Andrew and Leroy
Wright were from Chattanooga.
00:04:42.91\00:04:46.61
Apparently, a fight
broke out on the train
00:04:46.65\00:04:49.48
between the black youth
and a group of white boys
00:04:49.52\00:04:53.15
after one of the white
boys stepped on the hand
00:04:53.19\00:04:56.49
of one of the black boys.
00:04:56.52\00:04:58.33
The white boys were
then forced off the train.
00:04:58.36\00:05:02.03
Then they lodged a complaint
at the station in Stevenson,
00:05:02.06\00:05:06.10
Alabama.
00:05:06.13\00:05:07.77
When the train stopped
in Paint Rock, Alabama,
00:05:12.91\00:05:15.54
about 80 miles from Chattanooga,
00:05:15.58\00:05:17.95
the nine boys were apprehended,
and things got rapidly worse.
00:05:17.98\00:05:23.42
About 20 minutes after
the youth had been detained,
00:05:23.45\00:05:27.22
one of two white women who
had been on the train claimed
00:05:27.26\00:05:30.39
that she and her friend had been
raped by the nine black boys.
00:05:30.43\00:05:36.53
They were detained in the
jail in Scottsboro, Alabama,
00:05:36.56\00:05:39.60
nine accused
rapists-- one just 12 years old,
00:05:39.63\00:05:44.37
and one who had a
disease that made it impossible
00:05:44.41\00:05:47.08
for him to have participated
in the alleged attack.
00:05:47.11\00:05:49.84
The whole thing was absurd,
00:05:52.68\00:05:54.62
but by evening, several
hundred men had gathered
00:05:54.65\00:05:57.22
in front of the jail.
00:05:57.25\00:05:58.69
The mayor of Scottsboro appealed
to the crowd to disperse.
00:05:58.72\00:06:01.92
Armed lawmen guarded the jail
00:06:01.96\00:06:04.06
in an attempt to
hold off the crowd.
00:06:04.09\00:06:06.63
But that crowd
wasn't going anywhere.
00:06:06.66\00:06:08.93
They wanted the nine boys.
They intended to lynch them.
00:06:08.96\00:06:13.70
¤[ominous music]¤
00:06:13.74\00:06:14.97
>>Sheila Washington: It was the
Jim Crow era where whites ruled.
00:06:15.00\00:06:19.61
If somebody said a black did
it, a black didn't have a chance
00:06:19.64\00:06:23.95
of even making it
inside of a courtroom
00:06:23.98\00:06:26.72
before he was hung on a tree.
00:06:26.75\00:06:29.12
And they lived to
make it to the courthouse,
00:06:29.15\00:06:32.62
and that night a mob
came with a telephone pole,
00:06:32.65\00:06:37.09
ready to knock the door in
and go in and get those boys
00:06:37.13\00:06:40.86
and bring them
out and hang them,
00:06:40.90\00:06:42.60
and the sheriff steps out in the
middle of the crowd and said,
00:06:42.63\00:06:45.50
"Before you get to them,
you have to go through me."
00:06:45.53\00:06:48.94
>>John Bradshaw: The
governor of the state authorized
00:06:48.97\00:06:50.57
25 armed men to be
sent to Scottsboro,
00:06:50.61\00:06:53.38
but by the time they arrived,
the crowd had mostly dispersed.
00:06:53.41\00:06:57.38
But if the Scottsboro
Nine had survived one night,
00:06:57.41\00:07:00.82
it seemed they
wouldn't survive much longer.
00:07:00.85\00:07:03.99
The universe rests upon justice.
00:07:04.02\00:07:07.12
If God were not just, if
there were no justice in heaven,
00:07:07.16\00:07:11.29
where would we be?
00:07:11.33\00:07:12.93
First John 1:9 says,
"If we confess our sins,
00:07:12.96\00:07:17.00
He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins,
00:07:17.03\00:07:20.84
and to cleanse us
[of] all unrighteousness."
00:07:20.87\00:07:23.77
The Bible says that
justice and judgment
00:07:23.81\00:07:26.04
are the
foundation of God's throne.
00:07:26.07\00:07:28.38
Therefore, people who
claim to be followers of God
00:07:28.41\00:07:32.21
must care about justice.
00:07:32.25\00:07:34.55
But for these nine boys,
justice would take a backseat
00:07:34.58\00:07:38.45
to injustice as
their lives played out.
00:07:38.49\00:07:42.36
I'll be back in a moment.
00:07:42.39\00:07:44.03
¤[music]¤
00:07:44.06\00:07:50.03
>>John: I want to encourage
you to get today's free offer,
00:07:52.93\00:07:55.84
"Evil: The Challenge
of the Sinful Heart."
00:07:55.87\00:07:58.84
What do you do
about the sin problem?
00:07:58.87\00:08:01.08
How can you be successful
in the face of temptation?
00:08:01.11\00:08:04.15
What about the evil
that comes against us
00:08:04.18\00:08:06.58
and threatens your life?
00:08:06.61\00:08:07.92
How can you turn that back?
00:08:07.95\00:08:10.09
Call us right
now on 800-253-3000,
00:08:10.12\00:08:13.89
800-253-3000,
00:08:13.92\00:08:16.42
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:08:16.46\00:08:19.89
We'll get it to you right away,
00:08:19.93\00:08:21.40
absolutely free.
00:08:21.43\00:08:22.60
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:08:23.90\00:08:26.40
In 1931, three-and-a-half
thousand people lived
00:08:26.43\00:08:30.01
in Scottsboro, Alabama.
00:08:30.04\00:08:31.81
It was a farming town,
00:08:31.84\00:08:33.44
suddenly thrust into
the national spotlight
00:08:33.48\00:08:35.74
when nine black boys, or young
men, aged between 12 and 20,
00:08:35.78\00:08:40.42
were accused of
rape by two white girls.
00:08:40.45\00:08:43.82
According to one newspaper,
the two girls were treated
00:08:43.85\00:08:46.76
by local physicians for
terrible injuries they sustained
00:08:46.79\00:08:50.26
in a crime "too
revolting to be printed."
00:08:50.29\00:08:53.90
Except...none of it was true.
00:08:53.93\00:08:57.73
One of the girls said
that the boys came after them
00:08:57.77\00:09:00.47
shooting pistols
and brandishing knives.
00:09:00.50\00:09:03.74
She claimed that she'd
been punched in the face
00:09:03.77\00:09:06.57
and had a knife
held to her throat.
00:09:06.61\00:09:10.08
Scottsboro was agitated.
00:09:10.11\00:09:12.61
National guardsmen were brought
in to keep large crowds away
00:09:12.65\00:09:15.82
from the jail so that
the boys wouldn't be lynched.
00:09:15.85\00:09:20.12
¤[ominous music]¤
00:09:20.16\00:09:21.32
Instead, they would stand trial.
00:09:21.36\00:09:23.63
You would hope that
that would be justice,
00:09:23.66\00:09:26.33
except that a fair
trial was impossible.
00:09:26.36\00:09:30.60
The Scottsboro Nine
were represented initially
00:09:30.63\00:09:33.10
by a lawyer from
Chattanooga, an alcoholic,
00:09:33.13\00:09:37.74
who met with the boys
for less than half an hour
00:09:37.77\00:09:40.41
before they went on trial,
00:09:40.44\00:09:42.54
a trial in which
their lives were at stake.
00:09:42.58\00:09:46.51
If they were found guilty,
00:09:46.55\00:09:47.78
and society had
already declared their guilt,
00:09:47.82\00:09:51.29
they'd be executed.
00:09:51.32\00:09:53.29
Two of the boys
were tried first,
00:09:53.32\00:09:55.72
but the trial was a farce.
00:09:55.76\00:09:57.63
There was
contradictory testimony.
00:09:57.66\00:09:59.76
One of the
women, Victoria Price,
00:09:59.79\00:10:01.63
spoke in great detail about the
crimes perpetrated against her,
00:10:01.66\00:10:05.37
but her friend, Ruby
Bates, couldn't corroborate much
00:10:05.40\00:10:09.30
of what Miss Price said.
00:10:09.34\00:10:11.54
But what truly
shocked the courtroom
00:10:11.57\00:10:13.91
was that one of the nine
defendants testified that, yes,
00:10:13.94\00:10:17.95
he had witnessed the attack;
yes, the girls had been raped;
00:10:17.98\00:10:22.28
yes, the other
eight boys were guilty.
00:10:22.32\00:10:26.35
He said later that
the night before the trial
00:10:26.39\00:10:29.46
he was taken from
his cell and beaten
00:10:29.49\00:10:32.79
and told that if he
wanted to save his life,
00:10:32.83\00:10:35.76
he should testify
against the others.
00:10:35.80\00:10:38.47
The two who were tried
first were found guilty
00:10:38.50\00:10:41.10
and sentenced to death.
00:10:41.14\00:10:42.97
The crowd in the
courtroom celebrated wildly.
00:10:43.00\00:10:46.64
The first trial
took a day and a half,
00:10:46.68\00:10:48.91
while the other three trials
took less than a day, combined.
00:10:48.94\00:10:52.98
Eight of the Scottsboro
Nine were found guilty
00:10:53.01\00:10:55.85
and sentenced to die
in the electric chair.
00:10:55.88\00:11:00.12
The Alabama Supreme
Court upheld all but one
00:11:00.16\00:11:03.19
of the death sentences.
00:11:03.22\00:11:04.79
They said a 13-year-old
defendant shouldn't have been
00:11:04.83\00:11:07.30
tried as an adult.
00:11:07.30\00:11:09.16
But the United States Supreme
Court overturned the verdicts,
00:11:09.20\00:11:13.30
saying that the boys had been
denied competent legal counsel.
00:11:13.34\00:11:17.94
There are tons of
details we could go into.
00:11:17.97\00:11:20.98
Some of the rhetoric was...
00:11:21.01\00:11:23.14
well, not the sort of
thing I'd want to repeat here.
00:11:23.18\00:11:26.01
Justice?
00:11:26.05\00:11:27.42
There was no
justice afforded these boys.
00:11:27.45\00:11:29.72
It was patently obvious
they hadn't raped anyone at all,
00:11:29.75\00:11:33.05
that there
hadn't even been a rape.
00:11:33.09\00:11:35.29
But this kind of
thing happened all the time.
00:11:35.32\00:11:37.43
A black
defendant, an accusation,
00:11:37.46\00:11:40.13
an execution, if not a lynching,
and life went right on.
00:11:40.16\00:11:44.73
It was the 1930s.
00:11:44.77\00:11:46.47
Slavery had ended
70 years or so earlier,
00:11:46.50\00:11:49.70
but racism had not.
00:11:49.74\00:11:51.54
And in the South,
00:11:51.57\00:11:52.91
African-Americans were
routinely discriminated against.
00:11:52.94\00:11:56.54
The system guaranteed it.
00:11:56.58\00:11:58.55
Now, this is the sort of story
that people in a free country
00:11:59.25\00:12:02.22
would listen to and say,
"That had to have happened
00:12:02.25\00:12:05.22
somewhere else, in
some banana republic."
00:12:05.25\00:12:08.62
But it didn't.
00:12:08.66\00:12:09.89
It happened in "the land of the
free and the home of the brave."
00:12:09.92\00:12:13.43
Nine young men, nine boys,
accused of having committed
00:12:13.46\00:12:17.10
a ghastly crime, that brought
with it the ultimate penalty,
00:12:17.13\00:12:21.94
levied against them by a society
that was determined to keep
00:12:21.97\00:12:25.94
African-Americans
in their place.
00:12:25.97\00:12:28.94
Now, of course, not
all white people agreed
00:12:28.98\00:12:31.05
with this behavior,
00:12:31.08\00:12:32.11
not even all
whites in the South.
00:12:32.15\00:12:34.45
But this is the
way the system worked.
00:12:34.48\00:12:36.79
The belief was
that no white woman
00:12:36.82\00:12:38.89
who accused a black man of
rape could possibly be lying.
00:12:38.92\00:12:43.12
So an accused
Negro was a guilty Negro.
00:12:43.16\00:12:46.63
And even if he wasn't, penalties
like these would reinforce
00:12:46.66\00:12:50.53
the power
structure that existed.
00:12:50.57\00:12:53.00
During a constitutional
convention 30 years earlier,
00:12:53.03\00:12:56.30
Alabama's political
leaders stated that their goal
00:12:56.34\00:12:59.24
was to secure permanent
white supremacy in Alabama.
00:12:59.27\00:13:05.18
Justice?
00:13:05.21\00:13:06.51
The retrial was
held in Decatur, Alabama,
00:13:07.52\00:13:10.35
about 80 miles from Scottsboro,
southwest of Huntsville.
00:13:10.39\00:13:14.56
The thought was
this would give the boys
00:13:14.59\00:13:16.36
a shot at a fairer trial.
00:13:16.39\00:13:18.76
But the
overwhelming view in Decatur
00:13:18.79\00:13:20.93
was that the boys
were as guilty as sin.
00:13:20.96\00:13:24.93
During the trial in Decatur,
00:13:24.97\00:13:27.64
one of the physicians who
had examined the two young women
00:13:27.67\00:13:30.64
told the judge that
the women were lying.
00:13:30.67\00:13:34.44
The judge urged the physician
to testify to that end in court.
00:13:34.48\00:13:38.91
The doctor
explained to the judge
00:13:38.95\00:13:41.38
that there's no
way he could do that.
00:13:41.42\00:13:43.32
If he testified
against the two women,
00:13:43.35\00:13:46.76
if he testified in
favor of the nine black boys,
00:13:46.79\00:13:50.76
there was no way he'd be
able to go home to Scottsboro.
00:13:50.79\00:13:54.56
He said to the judge,
"God knows I want to"--
00:13:54.56\00:13:56.87
that's testify and tell
the truth--"but I can't."
00:13:56.90\00:14:01.34
>>Sheila: The
timeframe, people were scared.
00:14:02.27\00:14:04.47
When you had no law,
00:14:04.51\00:14:06.74
and you will have the
Klan to come after you,
00:14:06.78\00:14:09.84
and you see a mob outside of
your house with white robes on,
00:14:09.88\00:14:13.82
that was fearful
not only to blacks,
00:14:13.85\00:14:15.68
but more fearful to
whites, because they know,
00:14:15.72\00:14:19.29
"This is going to happen to me
00:14:19.32\00:14:20.56
just like it's
happened to the blacks."
00:14:20.59\00:14:23.36
But he had a conscience.
00:14:23.39\00:14:25.59
Although it was six
years later, he told the truth.
00:14:25.63\00:14:30.90
>>John Bradshaw: The Scottsboro
boys were now being represented
00:14:30.93\00:14:33.40
by a brilliant New York City
attorney named Samuel Leibowitz,
00:14:33.44\00:14:38.24
who exposed the prosecution's
case for exactly what it was.
00:14:38.27\00:14:42.38
By now the NAACP were
involved in supporting the boys,
00:14:42.41\00:14:46.38
as was the Communist Party, who
saw the trial as an opportunity
00:14:46.41\00:14:50.79
to try to grow their influence.
00:14:50.82\00:14:53.49
One of the women
actually recanted and said
00:14:53.52\00:14:55.92
that there was no attack,
00:14:55.96\00:14:57.39
no rape, that the
story was all made up.
00:14:57.43\00:15:00.60
But the jury found
the boys guilty again.
00:15:00.63\00:15:04.43
Again they faced
the death penalty.
00:15:04.47\00:15:06.63
But again the
convictions were overturned
00:15:06.67\00:15:08.80
because of Alabama's practice
of excluding blacks from juries.
00:15:08.84\00:15:13.48
So they were tried again.
00:15:13.51\00:15:15.98
One of the boys was
found guilty and sentenced
00:15:16.01\00:15:18.65
to 75 years in prison.
00:15:18.68\00:15:21.22
It was the only time a black
man had ever been found guilty
00:15:21.25\00:15:24.79
of the rape of a
white woman in Alabama
00:15:24.82\00:15:26.99
and not been sentenced to death.
00:15:27.02\00:15:30.06
Another was
sentenced to 105 years,
00:15:30.09\00:15:32.76
another to 99 years.
00:15:32.79\00:15:35.36
Charges were dropped
against four of the boys,
00:15:35.40\00:15:38.43
but by then they'd
spent six years in prison
00:15:38.47\00:15:41.87
for a crime that
had not been committed.
00:15:41.90\00:15:45.14
Ultimately, all of
the boys were freed.
00:15:45.17\00:15:48.31
One served 12 years,
another a total of 19,
00:15:48.34\00:15:53.05
one was paroled 15 years
after the boys were apprehended,
00:15:53.08\00:15:57.42
and there was no
fairytale ending.
00:15:57.45\00:15:59.79
None of the boys went on to be
a businessman or a politician.
00:15:59.82\00:16:03.76
Not one graduated from
college or even high school.
00:16:03.79\00:16:07.40
None of them became a minister.
00:16:07.40\00:16:09.33
This was simply a tragedy.
00:16:09.36\00:16:12.07
Nine poor, poorly educated boys,
00:16:12.10\00:16:15.80
the most vulnerable members of
society, were falsely accused,
00:16:15.84\00:16:20.51
deprived of a fair trial.
00:16:20.54\00:16:22.54
The intent at first was to
lynch them, then execute them,
00:16:22.58\00:16:26.21
then put them away
for as long as possible.
00:16:26.25\00:16:29.28
Their lives were ruined.
00:16:29.32\00:16:32.49
>>Sheila: I realize the state of
Alabama had dug a hole so deep
00:16:32.52\00:16:36.69
that they was too
embarrassed to say,
00:16:36.73\00:16:38.36
"We made a mistake," and come
out and admit they're wrong.
00:16:38.39\00:16:44.17
Instead, they held
on to these boys' lives
00:16:44.20\00:16:46.70
until they
almost just killed them.
00:16:46.74\00:16:49.00
They squished the
life out of them in prison.
00:16:49.04\00:16:52.07
>>John: This whole sorry
thing shows us how hatred
00:16:53.07\00:16:56.18
and ignorance and distrust and
vilification can destroy lives.
00:16:56.21\00:17:01.65
And not only the
lives of the hated,
00:17:01.68\00:17:05.05
but also the
lives of the haters.
00:17:05.09\00:17:08.12
People had to live
with what they'd done
00:17:08.16\00:17:09.89
for the rest of their lives.
00:17:09.92\00:17:12.06
And of course, they did.
00:17:12.09\00:17:15.00
So how do you get
this out of society?
00:17:15.03\00:17:17.77
There is a way.
00:17:17.80\00:17:19.53
We'll look at
that in just a moment.
00:17:19.57\00:17:21.74
¤[music]¤
00:17:21.77\00:17:28.31
>>John: I want to encourage
you to get today's free offer,
00:17:30.81\00:17:33.85
"Evil: The Challenge
of the Sinful Heart."
00:17:33.88\00:17:36.65
What do you do
about the sin problem?
00:17:36.69\00:17:39.09
How can you be successful
in the face of temptation?
00:17:39.12\00:17:42.19
What about the evil
that comes against us
00:17:42.22\00:17:44.63
and threatens your life?
00:17:44.66\00:17:45.96
How can you turn that back?
00:17:45.99\00:17:47.86
Call us right
now on 800-253-3000,
00:17:47.86\00:17:51.70
800-253-3000,
00:17:51.73\00:17:54.20
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:17:54.24\00:17:57.54
We'll get it to you right away,
00:17:57.57\00:17:59.07
absolutely free.
00:17:59.11\00:18:00.51
>>John: Five loaves.
00:18:01.38\00:18:03.11
Two fish.
00:18:03.14\00:18:04.65
One little boy.
00:18:04.68\00:18:06.41
A great Savior.
00:18:06.45\00:18:08.62
And more than 5,000
people fed, with food left over.
00:18:08.65\00:18:14.66
Join me for "Great Chapters
of the Bible: John [Chapter] 6,"
00:18:14.69\00:18:18.79
the remarkable story of a
little boy who shared his lunch
00:18:18.83\00:18:22.10
with Jesus, for Jesus to
then share it with thousands
00:18:22.13\00:18:26.27
and thousands of people.
00:18:26.30\00:18:28.10
It's also the chapter where
Jesus speaks words of truth
00:18:28.14\00:18:31.97
and life, and then watches
as almost everybody in the crowd
00:18:32.01\00:18:37.61
turns their back on
Jesus and walks away from Him
00:18:37.65\00:18:41.68
and the blessing He offers.
00:18:41.72\00:18:43.52
John chapter 6,
where Jesus said,
00:18:43.55\00:18:45.95
"I am the bread of life."
00:18:45.99\00:18:48.76
Don't miss this
great chapter of the Bible.
00:18:48.79\00:18:51.13
Join me for John chapter 6.
00:18:51.16\00:18:54.10
Brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:18:54.13\00:18:57.30
>>John Bradshaw: It was a
colossal miscarriage of justice,
00:19:01.47\00:19:04.27
carried out on American soil--
and not back in the Dark Ages--
00:19:04.31\00:19:09.51
in the 1930s.
00:19:09.54\00:19:11.11
And in the 1940s,
while Americans were fighting
00:19:11.15\00:19:13.85
for freedom in
Europe and the Pacific,
00:19:13.88\00:19:16.32
they were withholding
justice from one of their own,
00:19:16.35\00:19:19.22
simply due to the
color of a person's skin.
00:19:19.25\00:19:23.59
So how does a society
get past this sort of thing?
00:19:23.63\00:19:27.46
You can change laws,
00:19:27.50\00:19:28.63
but you can't
legislate a change of heart.
00:19:28.66\00:19:31.63
Education helps.
00:19:31.67\00:19:33.20
Time.
00:19:33.23\00:19:34.17
You'd hope that as
one generation dies off,
00:19:34.20\00:19:36.04
it's replaced with a
more enlightened generation.
00:19:36.07\00:19:39.27
And no doubt that's
happened to a great extent.
00:19:39.31\00:19:42.84
Alabama isn't the same
state it was in the 1930s.
00:19:42.88\00:19:46.35
America isn't the same country.
00:19:46.38\00:19:48.42
But it would be foolish to
think that there's no racism
00:19:48.45\00:19:51.52
or racists or hate.
00:19:51.55\00:19:54.12
Of course there are.
00:19:54.16\00:19:56.19
So how do you get rid of that?
00:19:56.22\00:19:58.26
Only the gospel of Jesus
can change a sinful human heart.
00:19:58.29\00:20:04.23
Paul wrote to the
Corinthians and said,
00:20:04.27\00:20:06.40
"Therefore, if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature:
00:20:06.43\00:20:10.84
old things are passed away;
00:20:10.87\00:20:13.24
behold, all
things are become new."
00:20:13.27\00:20:15.24
That's 2 Corinthians 5:17.
00:20:15.28\00:20:17.95
Speaking of
heaven, the Bible says,
00:20:17.98\00:20:19.95
"But there shall by no means
enter it anything that defiles."
00:20:19.98\00:20:25.05
God told Moses that some
people would have their names
00:20:25.09\00:20:28.66
blotted out of His book.
00:20:28.69\00:20:31.09
Heaven isn't a place for
hate-- or hateful people.
00:20:31.13\00:20:37.00
If there's someone who
sympathizes with the plight
00:20:37.03\00:20:39.73
of the
Scottsboro boys, it's Jesus.
00:20:39.77\00:20:43.14
He came to the world,
according to the Bible,
00:20:43.17\00:20:45.91
"to seek and save
that which was lost."
00:20:45.94\00:20:48.74
He came to the world
to make known to the world
00:20:48.78\00:20:51.08
what the Father was truly like.
00:20:51.11\00:20:53.42
He came to demonstrate love.
00:20:53.45\00:20:55.55
He came to the world
to, to lift people up.
00:20:55.58\00:20:58.72
He gave hope to tax collectors
and to harlots and fishermen
00:20:58.75\00:21:02.12
and farmers.
00:21:02.16\00:21:03.49
And He refused to condemn
even those who nailed Him
00:21:03.53\00:21:07.30
to the cross.
00:21:07.30\00:21:08.86
The Scottsboro
boys, uneducated, naïve,
00:21:08.90\00:21:13.03
couldn't have saved themselves
00:21:13.07\00:21:14.54
if they'd lived a
hundred lifetimes.
00:21:14.57\00:21:16.97
Even a lawyer as
sharp as Samuel Leibowitz
00:21:17.01\00:21:19.51
could only win
acquittals for four of the boys.
00:21:19.54\00:21:22.98
Four were prosecuted
and given lengthy sentences.
00:21:23.01\00:21:26.41
Two of them escaped,
and two were paroled.
00:21:26.45\00:21:30.05
In a similar way, Isaiah
said Messiah would be oppressed,
00:21:30.09\00:21:34.59
afflicted, and taken "as
a lamb to the slaughter."
00:21:34.62\00:21:38.16
But why?
00:21:38.19\00:21:39.19
Why would He allow
Himself to go through that?
00:21:39.23\00:21:42.70
Hebrews 2:18 says, "For in
that He Himself has suffered,
00:21:42.73\00:21:46.53
being tempted, He is able
to aid those who are tempted."
00:21:46.57\00:21:51.31
The passage states that
because Jesus as a human being
00:21:51.34\00:21:55.08
has gone through what we've gone
through in facing temptation,
00:21:55.11\00:21:59.41
He is able to aid; He's able to
help us in what we go through.
00:21:59.45\00:22:04.42
Jesus knows what
it's like to be tempted.
00:22:04.45\00:22:07.36
So when you're tempted,
you can go to One who knows
00:22:07.39\00:22:10.49
from experience what
you're going through.
00:22:10.53\00:22:13.09
Jesus knows what
it's like to be rejected.
00:22:13.13\00:22:16.06
Even His own family
members turned against Him.
00:22:16.10\00:22:19.13
His closest
followers fled from Him.
00:22:19.17\00:22:22.24
His own church gave
Him up to die on a cross.
00:22:22.27\00:22:26.01
And Jesus knows what it's
like to be falsely accused.
00:22:29.74\00:22:33.52
He knows
injustice from experience.
00:22:33.55\00:22:36.45
This is Matthew 26,
starting in verse 59:
00:22:36.48\00:22:39.92
"Now the chief priests,
the elders, and all the council
00:22:39.95\00:22:43.83
sought false testimony against
Jesus to put Him to death,
00:22:43.86\00:22:46.96
but found none.
00:22:47.00\00:22:48.63
Even though many false witnesses
came forward, they found none.
00:22:48.66\00:22:52.33
But at last two false
witnesses came forward and said,
00:22:52.37\00:22:56.04
'This fellow said, "I am able
to destroy the temple of God
00:22:56.07\00:22:59.94
and to build it
in three days."'"
00:23:00.04\00:23:02.04
False accusations. Truth
wasn't being pursued here.
00:23:02.08\00:23:06.61
When Jesus said that
they would see the Son of Man
00:23:06.65\00:23:09.15
coming on the clouds
of heaven, that was it.
00:23:09.18\00:23:13.02
The high priest
cried, "Blasphemy!"
00:23:13.05\00:23:15.72
And the crowd said,
"He is deserving of death!"
00:23:15.76\00:23:19.59
And then began a stream of
indignities that didn't stop
00:23:19.63\00:23:23.53
until Jesus was dead on a cross.
00:23:23.57\00:23:26.77
So now, this Jesus,
who was so poorly treated,
00:23:27.77\00:23:31.64
the victim of the
greatest miscarriage of justice
00:23:31.67\00:23:34.31
in the history of the universe,
how did He treat people
00:23:34.34\00:23:37.98
who are actually deserving
of the full penalty of the law?
00:23:38.01\00:23:42.02
Remember, "The
wages of sin is death,"
00:23:42.05\00:23:44.09
according to Romans 6:23.
00:23:44.12\00:23:46.76
So how did Jesus treat people?
00:23:46.79\00:23:48.76
To the thief on
the cross He said,
00:23:48.79\00:23:51.23
"You will be
with me in paradise."
00:23:51.26\00:23:54.56
A woman taken in
adultery, a victim herself,
00:23:54.60\00:23:58.13
is brought into the presence
of Jesus by a group of men.
00:23:58.17\00:24:01.40
Jesus ignored the men at first,
00:24:01.44\00:24:04.61
simply writing on the
ground with His finger.
00:24:04.64\00:24:07.44
John 8:7 says, "So when
they continued asking Him,
00:24:07.48\00:24:11.88
He lifted up
Himself and said unto them,
00:24:11.91\00:24:14.62
'He that is
without sin among you,
00:24:14.65\00:24:17.12
let him first
cast a stone at her.'"
00:24:17.15\00:24:20.39
Justice could easily have
said, "She deserves to die."
00:24:20.42\00:24:24.59
But in this case, justice said,
"You're a bunch of hypocrites,
00:24:24.63\00:24:28.16
and there's a better way to deal
with this woman's situation."
00:24:28.20\00:24:31.63
Verse 9 says, "And
they which heard it,
00:24:31.67\00:24:34.64
being convicted by
their own conscience,
00:24:34.67\00:24:37.07
went out one by one,
00:24:37.11\00:24:38.84
beginning at the
eldest, even unto the last:
00:24:38.87\00:24:42.11
and Jesus was left alone,
00:24:42.14\00:24:44.38
and the woman
standing in the midst."
00:24:44.41\00:24:46.98
Jesus then asked the woman
where her accusers had gone.
00:24:47.02\00:24:50.65
"Has no one
condemned you?" Jesus asked.
00:24:50.69\00:24:53.32
She answered and said,
No, no one has accused me.
00:24:53.36\00:24:57.46
And then Jesus said
some of the most wonderful,
00:24:57.49\00:24:59.79
hopeful words in
the entire Bible:
00:24:59.83\00:25:02.50
"Neither do I condemn you."
00:25:02.53\00:25:05.03
And he urged her to go on
her way "and sin no more."
00:25:05.07\00:25:08.77
[train horn
blaring, wheels clacking]
00:25:09.24\00:25:11.87
God is a God of
justice and forgiveness.
00:25:11.91\00:25:14.88
He forgave David and
Solomon and Manasseh and others
00:25:14.91\00:25:17.81
for their, for
their terrible sins.
00:25:17.85\00:25:20.08
In Psalm 136, the Bible
says 26 times in 26 verses
00:25:20.12\00:25:25.65
that God's
mercy endures forever.
00:25:25.69\00:25:28.66
It often takes real time for
justice to finally be served.
00:25:28.69\00:25:33.56
According to the
book of Revelation,
00:25:33.60\00:25:35.03
the Christ of heaven
will one day declare,
00:25:35.06\00:25:37.87
"He that is unjust,
let him be unjust still:
00:25:37.90\00:25:41.20
and he which is filthy,
let him be filthy still:
00:25:41.24\00:25:44.27
and he that is righteous,
let him be righteous still:
00:25:44.31\00:25:47.38
and he that is holy,
let him be holy still."
00:25:47.41\00:25:50.45
And then He says,
"And, behold, I come quickly;
00:25:50.48\00:25:54.02
and my reward is with me,
00:25:54.05\00:25:55.82
to give every man
according as his work shall be."
00:25:55.85\00:25:59.42
Justice will be done.
00:25:59.45\00:26:02.26
It isn't too much to
desire justice in this world.
00:26:03.26\00:26:06.46
It isn't too much
to expect justice.
00:26:06.49\00:26:08.43
Justice is the
right of everyone.
00:26:08.46\00:26:11.23
But justice in the
hands of flawed human beings
00:26:11.27\00:26:13.97
will never be perfect
or perfectly administered.
00:26:14.00\00:26:17.11
But one day, one day
when there's no more sin,
00:26:17.14\00:26:20.24
one day when
there's no more death,
00:26:20.28\00:26:22.24
one day when
there's no more hate,
00:26:22.28\00:26:24.11
one day when
there's no more bitterness,
00:26:24.15\00:26:26.25
one day when sin
has run its course,
00:26:26.28\00:26:29.12
one day, one soon day,
there'll be no more injustice.
00:26:29.15\00:26:33.49
One day Jesus will
return, and when He does,
00:26:33.52\00:26:36.56
everything will
happen at heaven's behest.
00:26:36.59\00:26:39.53
We look forward to that day,
00:26:39.56\00:26:41.46
and we say with John
who wrote Revelation,
00:26:41.50\00:26:44.33
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
00:26:44.37\00:26:47.87
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:48.87\00:26:50.87
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:50.91\00:26:54.28
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:54.31\00:26:57.45
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:57.48\00:27:01.78
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:27:01.82\00:27:03.18
to the address on your screen,
00:27:03.22\00:27:04.59
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:27:04.62\00:27:08.42
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:27:08.46\00:27:11.26
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:27:11.29\00:27:15.56
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:27:15.60\00:27:18.60
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:27:19.50\00:27:21.20
Our Father in heaven,
00:27:21.24\00:27:22.94
we thank You that Your plan for
our future and for our eternity
00:27:22.97\00:27:26.07
is perfect.
00:27:26.11\00:27:27.41
Keep us until then.
00:27:27.44\00:27:29.41
And as we live in a world that
is so often marked by injustice,
00:27:29.44\00:27:32.41
give us hearts
that are one with Yours.
00:27:32.45\00:27:34.88
We pray for
justice in the world,
00:27:34.92\00:27:37.25
but we pray for the
heart that will remain constant
00:27:37.29\00:27:39.59
no matter what we face.
00:27:39.62\00:27:42.06
We thank You for the hope that
we have in the return of Jesus.
00:27:42.09\00:27:45.09
Take our hearts
now; make them Yours,
00:27:45.13\00:27:47.13
not just now but forever.
00:27:47.20\00:27:49.90
We pray and we
thank You in Jesus' name.
00:27:49.93\00:27:53.03
Amen.
00:27:53.07\00:27:54.74
Thanks so much
for joining me today.
00:27:54.77\00:27:56.40
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:56.44\00:27:58.17
Until then, remember:
00:27:58.21\00:28:00.28
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:28:00.31\00:28:04.81
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:28:04.85\00:28:08.48
¤[theme music]¤
00:28:08.52\00:28:13.52